Oreo

Question
QUESTION: We just had her down to pet smart and they told us that she had a hernia. We took her to the vet and he said to take care if it when we have her fixed. Is there anything we can do to help it out. I men will it cause her pain, or make her have problems going to the bathroom? They also said that she was very young to be having a hernia. She will only be 10 weeks old this Saturday. Do you have any suggestions or experience with hernia's in dogs?

ANSWER: Hi Cynthia,

Hernias can happen in different area of the body. You didn't say where your puppy's hernia is. Is it an umbilical hernia?

Umbilical hernias occur on the midline of the abdominal wall through the umbilical ring and can be a variety of sizes from very small to very big. The hernia appears as a soft abdominal mass at the area of the the puppy's belly button. If the hernia opening is large enough, an intestinal loop can become trapped which can become a life-threatening problem. For this reason, it is recommended that larger hernias be closed when they're diagnosed. If it's a small hernia, it's most often repaired when the puppy is spayed.

This surgery is fairly routine. The location of the surgery for an umbilical hernia is very close to the location in which an incision is made in the body wall for a spay procedure. For this reason, most all umbilical hernias, regardless of size, may be repaired at the same time as the spay in female pets.

If this is he kind of hernia your puppy has, you can read more about them here: http://lowchensaustralia.com/breeding/umbhernia.htm

The American Medical Veterinary Association now advocates the spaying of female puppies from as early as 7 weeks of age. There are many other reputable organizations who agree with the AMVA on this decision including The Humane Society of the United States and The Kennel Club of the United States. So there's no reason to put off your puppy's spay surgery, or the repair of her hernia.

Best of luck,

Patti




---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: It's a inguinal hernia. Our vet said he thought it could wait until we have her spayed. When do they do that now? Our vet said something about doing it in 2 months. Do they spay before they have that first heat now? Because our other dog had hers done after the first heat. But I did read that they have started doing it earlier now. Thanks for all your help.

Answer
Hi Cynthia,

A female dog should ALWAYS be spayed before her first heat cycle to gain the important health benefits that spaying offers. To wait, and spay a dog after it's had just one heat cycle increases the chances the dog can develop cancer later in life.

In your dog's case, the vet has recommended that the hernia be repaired when she's spayed, so she won't have to go through two surgeries. Puppies can be spayed anytime onwards from 7 weeks, to about 6 months of age.  However, the longer you wait after 6 months, the better the chances that the dog will have a heat cycle.

I was just saying that if you preferred, rather than waiting, it's safe to spay your puppy now, if you just want to get it over with. As long as your vet is not concerned,  it's okay to wait and do the spay/hernia repair in two months, too.  If the hernia disappears on it's own prior to that time, all the better.

Best of luck,

Patti